Learning event search page

***Please do not book onto this session, it is for a training exercise*** You have found Alexis' Training, well done! To continue on in the training you will need to enter the code word 'Essex Spirit'. Why not take some time now to look at the training events available and consider any events you may wish to book. If you have any questions you can contact our team by emailing develop@essex.ac.uk. ***Please do not book onto this session, it is for a training exercise***

This course is only for those who manage contractors doing low-risk activities. An introduction to the University’s Authority to Work process, outlining when an ATW is required, the responsibilities of Authority Issuers, and expectations for checking RAMS and assuring safe low and medium risk work. Awareness training is required at least once every 5 years. Delegates must have completed both the Managing Health and Safety Essentials course and the Risk Assessment Essentials course before attending this training session. (Note: this process is being amended, so this training is on hold until it is finalised)

A basic introduction to safe lifting, carrying and back care, highlighting common risks, simple posture and movement principles, and how to minimise strain during everyday tasks. The session covers recognising hazardous lifts, using appropriate manual handling equipment, and knowing when to seek assistance. It is strongly recommended that if you have injuries or medical conditions that prevent you from safely undertaking manual handling activities, including pregnancy, you should not attend.

This session looks at understanding the impact of organisational change on employees at all levels. It explores how coaching can effectively support individuals through transitions, as well as exploring common challenges faced when leading change and strategies for managing them. It looks at how cognitive behavioural coaching (CBC) can support employees dealing with change-related stress or resistance and gives an opportunity for hands-on experience applying the CBC model through practical coaching exercises. If you have any additional requirements, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk so adjustments can be made.

This session introduces a clear model for articulating change, along with principles of conversational intelligence to strengthen communication. It explores how change impacts individuals and teams, particularly in the workplace, and how effective communication can help reduce uncertainty. There is space to reflect on personal responses to change while introducing practical approaches to supporting colleagues during periods of transition. If you have any additional requirements, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk so adjustments can be made.

This course is for staff who carry out COSHH risk assessments or review risk assessments carried out by others as part of their job. Hazardous substances are handled and stored across the University in a range of departments. Some substances can cause short term and/or long-term health effects and could cause fire and environmental hazards. This course details what is covered under COSHH, labelling, how to complete a COSHH assessment and the control measures required. Please note this course does not cover DSEAR. For more information on COSHH, please see the Hazardous Substances Safety page on the Staff Directory.

This course explores how to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty during periods of change, focusing on building confidence in decision-making with imperfect information. Participants will explore ways to reframe ambiguity as a shared team challenge, including how to talk openly about uncertainty, reduce confusion, and engage teams in collective problem-solving. The course introduces adaptive leadership behaviours and the core principles of “leading in the grey,” with an emphasis on flexibility, experimentation, and learning over perfection. The session builds on an understanding of how to create psychologically safe teams, providing tools that support agility, smart risk-taking, and shared ownership of change. If you have any additional requirements, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk so adjustments can be made.

A practical introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER), this workshop explores how open textbooks can improve student access, reduce costs, and support inclusive teaching. Participants will learn how to find, evaluate, and begin using OER in their own teaching practice. Objectives: 1. Define Open Educational Resources (OER) and explain their key characteristics, including open licensing and adaptability. 2. Evaluate the benefits of OER for both students and staff, particularly in relation to inclusion, accessibility, and teaching innovation. 3. Identify the challenges associated with traditional textbook and ebook models, including cost and access barriers. 4. Understand Creative Commons licences and how they enable reuse and adaptation. 5. Locate and assess open textbooks relevant to your discipline using trusted platforms.

This course provides delegates the skills to carrying out inspection of work equipment (step ladders, kick stools and trolleys) to ensure it is safe for use and labelled appropriately.

This course is a refresher only, please do not book if you have not attended the Fire Marshal Training

This session explores the psychological safety and its role in fostering team connection, trust, and open communication, particularly in time of change. It provides space to reflect on how you feel at work and how this influences levels of engagement and collaboration, as well as an opportunity to examine the behaviours, signals, and barriers that shape psychological safety within teams. You will be introduced to practical tools to support your team, and to frameworks including team charters, to align expectations, strengthen connection, and build on shared values during change. If you have any additional requirements, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk so adjustments can be made.

This course is for employees who carry out incident investigations as part of their job. You will find out what are the three main causes of incidents in the workplace and carry out your own incident investigation using a case study. The course also provides an overview of the University incident reporting procedure and what you can do to improve reporting.

This practical training session is aimed at staff who are new to using LEAP and those needing a refresher. - Improve understanding of Student Engagement and how LEAP supports engagement at the University of Essex - Gain practical knowledge of the LEAP system - Understand support available for students and how to refer students to these services using LEAP If you are able, please check your access to LEAP and view the system before attending this session. You should be able to log on to the system using your Essex login details (minus @essex.ac.uk): https://leap.essex.ac.uk. Details will be provided in the session of how to request access if you cannot log on to the system.

A short introduction to why little-used outlet flushing is required and the simple steps involved in carrying it out safely. The session covers what to flush, how often, basic precautions, and how to record completion.

The course covers the University’s legal responsibilities, as set out in the Health and Safety Policy and Code of Practise, and explains what a health and safety management statement is and how to complete it. Participants are also given an overview of support and resources available within the University. A case study is used to help understand what is required of a manager/health and safety lead in the event of an incident and put into context the legal responsibilities. This is a mandatory course for all Directors and Heads of Department, and for Line Managers and Principal Investigators in high risk / complex risk areas, and is recommended for anyone who has responsibility for health and safety such as HSLOs and DHSOs. At the end of the course, you will be assessed with a short multiple choice test. If you will require support for the test, please email safety@essex.ac.uk. Please note that all courses are in person at Colchester campus unless stated otherwise. If you have booked and are unable to attend, please cancel your place or email safety@essex.ac.uk before the training date.

The session is delivered by a qualified Nordic Walking Instructor and is a low impact walking exercise that involves the use of walking poles. Along with getting your heart rate up, Nordic walking is a full-body exercise that uses special poles to activate your upper body as you walk and great workout for those who have joint issues such as arthritis. These sessions are aimed at all abilities, and you will be taught the correct technique before setting off and enjoying the scenery around campus. Walking poles will be provided but you should ensure you wear comfortable clothing and suitable walking shoes or trainers. The group meets on Square 2, outside the RAB Butler Building, for a prompt 12:10 departure. You must ensure for the first session you have completed a health declaration, which you can access by emailing ohquery@essex.ac.uk or on the Wellbeing Wednesdays page on the Staff Directory. Please bring this with you to your first session.

Risk Assessment Essentials is designed to introduce staff members to creating useful risk assessments and their importance. This includes identifying what a risk is and how they can be mitigated to keep people safe. Participants use the risk assessment template along with a scenario to practise, and are provided a completed version at the end of the session in addition to resources that are available to help in the future. This is a mandatory course for all Directors and Heads of Department, and for Line Managers and Principal Investigators in high risk / complex risk areas, and recommended for anyone who completes or approves risk assessments. At the end of the course, you will be assessed with a short multiple choice test. If you will require support for the test, please email safety@essex.ac.uk. Please note that all courses are in person at Colchester campus unless stated otherwise. If you have booked and are unable to attend, please cancel your place or email safety@essex.ac.uk before the training date.

This session is for Directors and senior leaders only. A condensed overview of the University’s risk assessment process designed for Directors and senior leaders who oversee teams completing risk assessments.

Part 1: Part 1 of this course will focus on introducing participants to legislative and institutional definitions of misogyny, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. Participants will be encouraged to think about different forms of misogyny and individual and societal impacts of misogyny. Participants will also discuss what sexual violence is and learn to challenge commonly help myths about what causes sexual violence. (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4) This session will be delivered via zoom.

Part 2: Part 2 of this course will focus on the impacts of sexual violence, abuse, and harassment on the survivor. We will explore possible barriers to disclosure, as well as how to overcome these barriers and how to respond to a disclosure. We will also discuss possible ways to intervene safely in case we witness sexual harassment, abuse or violence. This section will also highlight institutional reporting and support mechanisms. (LO5, LO6, LO7) This session will be delivered via zoom. Note – please ONLY register for Part 2 if you have completed Part 1

This session will introduce the newly created Catalogue of Open Research Practices in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (https://catalogue.morphss.work/). Through this context, different open research practices in these disciplines will be explored and discussed, with attendees encouraged to share their experiences. Anyone interested is welcome to join this session. The primary target audience is researchers (including PGRs who can book via Proficio) and research-enabling staff.

Three large many-lab projects have found that replicability, reproducibility, and robustness across the social sciences are still much lower than we would like (https://www.nature.com/collections/idajfifcfg). Specifically, collecting new data using the same methodology leads to the same conclusion in only ~55% of cases (replicability). Re-analysing existing data using the same statistical approach reproduces the exact original findings in only ~53% of cases (reproducibility). Using different statistical approaches on the same data leads to the same conclusion in 74% of cases (robustness). Collectively, these issues can substantially undermine trust in science. We will discuss these findings and explore ways to make our research more replicable, reproducible, and robust. Anyone interested is welcome to join the session. The primary target audience is researchers (including PGRs who can book via Proficio) and research-enabling staff.

This session explores the visible and invisible elements of organisational culture and how associated values and assumptions can influence team dynamics, practice and decision-making in times of change. This is also an opportunity to reflect on how your beliefs and actions align with team and organisational expectations. The session also introduces approaches to identifying assumed team roles, strengths, behavioural patterns, gaps and risks, as a way to improve team balance, communication and collaboration in support of our desired culture and values. If you have any additional requirements, please contact develop@essex.ac.uk so adjustments can be made.

An opportunity to explore your values and personal preferences using the MBTI model, to understand how these can be used in career planning and decision making. This session is about enabling you to articulate who you are and what is important to you in your working and personal life. It is designed as an opening to ongoing discovery around your ‘fit’ in different situations and environments, whilst encouraging acceptance and celebration of difference in the ways that we approach the world around us. The session includes: • Exploration of your core values. • Understanding how your values currently relate to your work and life. • Developing a plan to better align what you do to what is important to you. • An introduction to and exploration of preference using MBTI. • An introduction to how different preferences relate to each other and fit in different environments. • How your MBTI preference relates to your work and career choices and changes you may wish to make.

An overview of safe working at height using stepladders, kick stools, and low-level platforms, with a focus on University expectations, legal duties, and simple controls for low-risk access tasks. The session covers selection, pre-use checks, common hazards, and when alternative equipment or additional controls are required. This course is targeted at anyone who uses stepladders as part of their day-to-day role, but anyone who works at height is welcome to attend.